Show Me
by pilas14
Summary: Cal/OC - Sophie can perfectly control her facial muscles, twitches, and micro-expressions. What does this mean for Cal? Why does he find her so fascinating? / AU / Rated M for later chapters
1. Chapter 1

_There were no good Cal/OC fics! So here's the first chapter. I probably have 10 written so far, but I'm still going so please let me know if you like the character (I tried to make her so anyone could be plugged into her spot because c'mon, everyone has to find Cal that sexy. I will edit this again when I get home, but I wanted to put this up to share. Let me know if you like it!_

**_I do not own Lie to Me or any characters therein._**

A pair of warm honey brown eyes scanned the foyer of The Lightman Group skeptically. The eyes missed nothing as a young man with curly dark hair approached to greet her.

She shook his hand firmly. "Sophie Fatale, nice to meet you Doctor…"

"Cal Lightman, at your service," he supplied smoothly. Sophie kept her face carefully neutral, as always, as he gauged her reaction.

Forcing her voice to remain light, she asked, "Are we conducting the interview out in the hall, Dr. Lightman?" She knew perfectly well this arrogant pup wasn't Lightman. Anyone else might have been offended by the trick, but Sophie thought it was a fun exercise.

The conference room where he interviewed her was bugged, but she spoke clearly. This was a job she had always wanted and this test was here for a reason. After several questions about her education and qualifications, he asked if she had any questions for him.

Face calm, hands folded neatly in her lap, she asked, "Yes, I was wondering what your real name is?"

His mouth drops open. Shock.

"But I had you fooled! Your face…I didn't read…" He laughed suddenly. "Well, I'll be damned."

"You certainly are," a smooth British voice quipped from behind her. "You said you could convince her _and _read her, and you did neither."

Sophie turned to meet the newcomer and her iron-control slipped momentarily when she caught the man's storm-cloud blue gaze. As fast as it happened, it was over but the man tilted his head to the side as if he could unravel her with one penetrating look. Despite the intensity, she was steady with her return gaze.

After a few moments, she loosened her face and offered him the smallest micro-smile. Not fake or forced. It said, "Nice to meet you."

The man let you a huff of air and held out his hand with an awkward thrust.

"Doctor Cal Lightman. Nice to meet you too, luv." He didn't smile with his mouth but Sophie saw his eyes crinkle in amusement.

The first young man cleared his throat and introduced himself as Eli Loker, unpaid intern. "They said you were good."

"Then why the test?" she inquired, resting her penetrating gaze on Lightman. She wondered if he would see the accusation in her eyes, but if he did he wasn't letting in on it.

Instead of answering, he waved in a skinny brunette from the hallway. The way she stood intimately close to Lightman made Sophie dislike her immediately. She didn't want to focus on why she found him so alluring, but for now she blamed it on the accent. She could evaluate her feelings when she wasn't being judged and weighed.

The woman was Gillian, apparently. She was the other partner of The Lightman Group but her looks alone were enough for Sophie to dislike her.

Sophie's curls rarely behaved and therefore were piled unceremoniously in a bun at the nape of her neck. She didn't own heels or makeup, which she could tell was very anti-Gillian.

It was hard to determine off-hand how intimate the partners were, but she quickly decided it wasn't sexual. That was something, at least. Again, she chose not to dwell on it.


	2. Chapter 2

"So everything they said about her wasn't an exaggeration," Loker commented.

Cal was deep in thought, staring out at the conference room glass and beyond. He didn't respond.

"Cal?" Gil tried. "Do you think she'll really be an asset? Her training is a little…unorthodox…" she trailed off. Apparently training at one of the top facilities, a rival group, without a college degree was "unorthodox".

The British man had never seen someone so in control of their facial expressions. He did think she could be a benefit to the team, but that was not the primary concern at the moment. At this moment, he was trying to analyze the multi-faceted micro-expression on Sophie's face when she had first met him.

He ruled out negative emotions. There was surprise, but it didn't seem like the bad sort. There was lust and while that was a new one for him, it didn't irk him as much as the part of her expression he couldn't decipher.

Cal decided it must be respect. Nothing else made sense.

The other problem was how easily she had won him over, just by communicating without words. He was beginning to feel he may have finally met someone he could have a complete non-verbal conversation with…and he'd always said he would marry that person.

She was attractive, no doubt. Her fuller figure and classic features seemed to compliment him better than Gillian's high-end style. He loved Gillian, no doubt, but he knew she was still in love with her ex-husband. Damn foolish that was.

Realizing he'd got caught up in his thoughts, Cal turned to Gil, "I think she'll fit in perfectly."


	3. Chapter 3

Cal Lightman did not appreciate sass, Sophie could tell from this micro-expression shift. Slight left mouth quirk downward which indicated his annoyance at a scrappy young intern named Eli Loker, who was currently not realizing his danger. Cal was reaching the critical moment where his annoyance was about to be vocalized. She stepped into the direct line of danger, catching the older British man's eyes and indicating she would handle Eli's tantrum over workloads.

"I'll help you with this project now, okay? Will that help, Eli?" keeping her tone helpful and perky. Lips pursed, Eli shrugs in annoyance.

He huffs, "I don't know why you couldn't have just helped in the first place."

Eli storms off to the lab and the door whooshes closed behind him.

Turning to Cal, she offers him a mico-smile. Helpful, non-judgemental and sympathetic.

A small chin thrust in response. Appreciating her and impressed at the same time.

The urge to give him a full smile almost wins out, but Gillian turns the corner behind him, in her line of sight and gives a withering glare her direction. The psychiatrist doesn't approve of Sophie; too good at hiding her feelings to analyze her.

Gillian smiles when Cal turns towards her, hearing the click of her heels down the hall. In his distraction, Sophie escapes into the lab to help Eli.

Why does Cal Lightman affect her so much?

The micro-expression from the first time she saw him...Of course she had time to analyze it now. Infatuation. Lust. Admiration. Need. Something else, which still disconcerts her.

Love.

How can you love someone on first sight?

Sophie believed she would never find love at all. Too many expressions she could read on whatever partner she took and she was too close-lipped to say anything about herself.

The years of training she had at the Lightman Group's rival firm had honed a sense of self-preservation which was not easily lifted. The small micro-expressions she gave to Cal were like a miracle breathing down onto her existence. Her very life seemed easier to handle with these small things she could give up about herself.

Sophie sensed Cal wanted to know her better too. She had certainly been doing her snooping about him.

Eli talked about him most. Complained about him most, more like.

Torres knew some things, about his daughter Emily and about his ex-wife. She knew Cal was complicated and fucked up.

Something Sophie liked about Cal Lightman. The man was not perfect.

The work in the lab moved the day along, but Sophie kept getting distracted and Eli was getting frustrated with her. "Ugh just get out if you are going to keep thinking about Lightman the whole time!" he groaned in frustation, flopping his head unceremoniously on the keyboard.

If Sophie hadn't learned to control her blush impulse, her face would have been beet-red. Cal cleared his throat behind them.

"You two done yet?" he graciously ignored Eli's comment. Sophie shot him a grateful micro-expression; eyebrows together and lifted, small smile.

Cal keeps his hands in his pockets as he reviews their application process for the new interviewees. It's fairly straight forward, but tricky work. The way things are worded either makes them effective reading tools or not.

Eli had been arguing that if they caught the subject off-guard with a surprising question, they were more likely to get an honest reaction. Sophie argued it wouldn't be a genuine expression because shock would be the prevalent emotion. It was hard to get a good read through all that.

In the end, Cal agreed with Loker, but agreed that the initial read wouldn't be the one they took, per Sophie's suggestion. It didn't suit either of them, but that's the way he liked it.

"Sophie, can I see you in my office for a moment?" he phrased it like a question but there was no question she would follow.

In his office, he sat behind the desk of many interviews and asked the bluntest question Sophie had ever heard. "So you fancy me?" Nonchalant and nonplussed. Like asking if the weather was nice.

Sophie couldn't help but catch her breath a little, giving more away with the expression than either anticipated.

His eyes darkened, tongue darting out to wet his lips. Cal swallows, watching her eyes watch the movement. It's hypnotizing, having someone read him like this. She was showing him how she felt though he felt she couldn't say it even if had insisted.

Her eyes were almost black, the honey brown melting into a pot of molten want and desire.

Cal knew what he wanted. He wanted Sophie. Right here. Right now. On his desk, if possible.

Though he was watching his lust indicators, something in her gaze shifted.

Alarm. Fear. Flight.

She's out of his office before he can think to object.

Oh! Has Cal screwed it up!

Find out because I'm back to writing this fic! 3 3 3


End file.
